Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught, "Some are guilty, but all are responsible." As Jews, who have been victims of torture and who uphold the idea that every human being is created in the image of God, we must not be silent when our country sanctions the use of torture!
Rabbis for Human Rights has inititiated a campaign to organize thousands of Rabbis and Jews from all movements nationwide to take action to end the use of torture and abuse by U.S. personnel. Please read the statement and join Rabbis and Jews across the country to build a large and effective Jewish voice against torture. We need your help to abolish torture and ill-treatment of detainees once and for all. Please sign the Jewish Statement Against Torture today.
A Jewish Statement Against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment of
Detainees Under United States Control
We, the undersigned American Jews, join our voices with Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and more than 600 North American rabbis in calling on the U.S. to abolish torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees held under United States control.
We are deeply concerned about the erosion of America's longstanding repudiation of torture. Because:
* Jewish tradition teaches that human beings are created in God's image, and obliges us to protect human life and dignity;
* The humanity and dignity of both perpetrators and victims is inevitably shattered by the use of torture;
* The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that torture is "shocking," "revolting" and "alien" to America's cherished values and constitutional protections;
* Torture violates U.S. treaty and Convention obligations, and is punishable by criminal statute;
* The Israeli Supreme Court has categorically banned torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, even for detainees interrogated for suspected involvement in terror;
* The abolition of torture, like slavery, is the measure of a free and ethical society;
As Jews and Americans, we urge Congress and the President to prohibit:
* Exemptions for any arm of the U.S. government from the human rights standards of international law.
* The practice of extraordinary rendition, whereby suspects are apprehended and flown to countries that use torture as a means of interrogation.
* Any disconnection of "cruel, inhuman, and degrading" treatment from the ban against "torture" so as to permit inhumane interrogation.
* The existence of secret U.S. prisons around the world.
* Denial of Red Cross visits to detainees held by our government overseas.
We join with our rabbis to promote a full discussion of these issues in our religious communities, and we join with people of other faiths, and all concerned American citizens, to do all we can to end the practice of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees held by the United States.
Let America abolish torture now - without exceptions.
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